Home
by Michelle Lancaster
Summary: After Twilight Princess, Link is left with a choice. Don’t read this unless you’re interested in exploring character development and motivations, because it’s basically my working out what’s going on in Link’s head.


**Home**

Ilia never felt so warm and safe as when she was next to Link's strong heartbeat and steady breathing, and this was even truer since he had saved her life and the rest of Hyrule. Stretched out next to him on his couch, she felt so comfortable that she could have happily dozed off.

She felt him gently touching her hair, and the great effort it took her to pull her mind back to her body made her realize that she must have done just that. With a sigh to let him know that she was awake, she lifted her eyes to look at him.

"You fell asleep," he told her with a smile, "and so did my arm."

"Oh!" she said, laughing slightly. "Sorry!"

She sat up so that he could move it, and saw that the sky outside his window was beginning to turn gold as the sun sank.

"Oh," she said again, standing, "look, it's gotten so late…I should go home."

His usual response when she made comments like this was to teasingly suggest that there was no reason why she couldn't stay a little longer; she could stay all night, if she wanted to. Tonight, however, he only stood up with her and said, "Yeah. I guess."

She stared at him, admittedly surprised, but, deciding that maybe he had just grown up a little, gave him a quick kiss without comment. "See you tomorrow."

"See you."

But she was still not satisfied as she left his house. This wasn't the first time that she had noticed how he seemed different since he had returned from the castle and told them all the story of how he and Queen Zelda had defeated the evil king who had first threatened their grandparents, and thus restored peace again to Hyrule.

He was distracted. There was something on his mind that he wasn't willing to talk about, and though she had hinted more than once that she hoped he knew he could always tell her anything, he still hadn't let her in on the secret. To everyone else, he was doing a good job of acting like the same person he had always been, but she knew him best, and she knew that something was wrong.

She paused at the edge of the clearing that separated him from Ordon proper to look back, and he grinned and waved to her from the porch where he stood. Maybe she was wrong—and maybe she didn't know him best.

* * *

As he lay in bed later that night, Link couldn't help thinking that trying to sleep was a waste of his time. He had barely slept at all since he had returned from his final battle with Ganondorf, because night and day—light and dark—no longer belonged to the same world; as Zelda had said, they were necessarily separate, and neither could exist without the other to stand in contrast. He doubted that she realized, however, just what her words meant to him. Day belonged here in Ordona: working on the ranch, playing with the kids, being with Ilia. Night belonged to the rest of Hyrule, and the man that he had discovered he could be.

And even though he knew he had to get up early the next morning to help Fado with the goats, the fact remained that right now, it was twilight.

_"In this hour, they are so close…"_

_"Who are 'they,' Rusl?"_

_"The people who have left this world with regrets. The people from the other place. And in the twilight, the separation of our world from theirs grows thinner…and we can almost touch…"_

She had regrets. She had left this world without saying what he knew she wanted to, because she knew there was no point. He was chosen and beloved by the goddesses, and she existed outside their care and influence. He was destined for greatness—she simply was not destined.

But still…he wanted to touch her again.

Sunrise the next morning found him in his basement, quickly searching through his things, deciding what he would need. It was hard to say, since he didn't know where exactly he would end up; there lurked in the back of his mind the notion that he should try the Arbiter's Grounds first, but from there, he had no idea what would happen.

"Hello…Link! You home?"

The voice coming from upstairs made him freeze in his tracks, because he had been trying to avoid her by leaving early. Before he could think of a response, he heard her laugh.

"Uh-oh," she called playfully, "your work clothes are here! I hope you're decent!"

In answer, he emerged from the basement. "Hi, Ilia."

She spotted him, and her smile faded. "You're wearing the tunic," she observed.

"Yeah."

The look on her face made him feel even guiltier than he already did, as though he was betraying her and she knew it. She couldn't have known it, of course. But whether he was going to betray her, he himself didn't yet know.

"Why?" she asked. "Did something happen?"

"No," he said, crossing the room toward her, "just…I need to do something."

"Oh," she said simply. "Okay."

As she looked him over, he could tell she wanted to say more. She had looked at him that way often over the past few days, as though she knew he was hiding something, but she had never asked about it, for which he was grateful. He didn't know what he would have said.

"It's—I just need to sort some things out," he explained. "It's nothing bad, just kinda complicated…"

She smiled and shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I trust you. And besides, I told you I would wait for you, didn't I?"

Although they were meant to be reassuring, her words only made his heart sink lower. He cared about her, he didn't want to hurt her, but neither did he want to live the rest of his life without knowing. It would make him resent her, even more than he was already starting to.

That didn't mean it would be any easier if he had to come back and tell her he didn't want her.

"I'll come back as soon as I can," he promised earnestly. "Shouldn't be more than a couple days."

"Don't hurry on my account," she insisted. "On Fado's, maybe… The goats will drive him crazy if he has to take care of them all by himself for too long."

He laughed. "The goats'll be the ones going crazy, not him."

With a giggle, she put her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. "I love you."

He hesitated for a moment before he answered, "I love you, too."

She let her arms fall back to her sides, and looked around at the mess he had made while packing Epona's saddlebags. "Anything I can do to help?"

"No," he told her; he realized he had spoken too quickly when she blinked in surprise, but the truth was that he couldn't ask for her help while he was leaving her. Managing a smile, he said more calmly, "I'm just about ready to go, actually."

In answer, she glanced around the room again. "All right, if you say so… Let me at least see you and Epona off, anyway."

"Yeah, of course," he agreed. "It's not like I'm trying to sneak off without you knowing."

She was still smiling, but it looked rather stiff as she said quietly, "Could have fooled me."

His stomach twisted uncomfortably. "Well—I just decided this morning to go. But I was gonna say goodbye to you."

"I know," she told him. "I'm still gonna miss you, though."

In the silence that followed, he could think of no real response to this, and was grateful when she did.

"Oh, listen to me!" she said, shaking her head. "I told you not to worry about me, and now I'm making you feel guilty! I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he assured her. "Do you think I'd rather you just sent me away happily?"

She grinned. "Good point."

Holding out his hand to her, he added, "And if it were up to me, I would never have to leave Ordona and Faron."

Smirking, she entwined her fingers with his. "That's a lie," she said amusedly. "You wouldn't be happy without seeing the rest of the world—It's in your blood to be an adventurer."

As she spoke, they made their way out of his house, and he followed her down the ladder, saying, "Yeah, you're right."

"Of course I am. I know you."

Reaching the ground, he paused to look at her properly. "Yeah," he said again, "you do."

She only smiled in answer, and watched as he tied his supplies firmly to Epona's back and untied her from her hitching post.

"Well," he said awkwardly, "I guess I'm off, then…"

Nodding, she sighed, "Take care of yourself. And Epona."

"Of course."

Always, before they parted, he kissed her goodbye, and today was no exception. Her kisses were so familiar—warm, safe, comfortable. Pleasant, but not passionate. Like Ordona. But, as she had said, he wanted the whole world.

When they parted, he said, "Bye, Ilia."

"Bye, Link."

Then he climbed into the saddle, and he was off. She watched him go, riding north, bound for Hyrule and everything in it.

Moments later, footsteps came hurrying up to his house behind her.

"Link!" Fado hollered. "Hey! _Link_! Come—Oh."

He stopped shouting when he saw Ilia watching the path that led to Faron and beyond, and approached her.

"Hey, Ilia," he called, "seen Link?"

She nodded without looking at him. "He just left."

"Left?" Fado echoed in astonishment. "Where'd he go?"

"I don't know," she replied; her voice was soft, not the happy one she had adopted for Link's benefit. "I hope he comes back."

"Well, he's bound to come back eventually," Fado said, sounding confused. "His life is here."

Ilia was silent for a long moment before she answered, "I don't know if it is anymore."

* * *

Link rode northwest, and reached the Great Bridge of Hylia before the sun began to set. There he decided to stop for the night.

He watched carefully, his eyes fixed on the western sky, as the sun began to take on its warmer hues. Something was bound to happen in the twilight, and he wanted to see what.

And then, over the rocky cliffs that surrounded Lake Hylia, he saw a small, pale figure appear. He took a quick step forward joyfully, but stopped when he realized that it was not who he had expected.

Leaping gracefully down from the rocks to land before him was the golden, transparent form of a wolf. It gazed up at him with intense red eyes.

Link nodded to it in greeting. "Hi, Grandpa."

Then the wolf growled, and with a vicious bark, pounced. However, Link had expected nothing less, and he didn't flinch as the massive jaws opened wide and engulfed his whole body.

Instantly, he could see nothing but white, and felt as though he were floating. When this sensation passed, he was lying face down on something soft. Opening his eyes, he stood up; he was standing on a cloud, its cool mist swirling about his ankles, and in the distance he could see great Hylian landmarks: Hyrule Castle, Death Mountain, the Arbiter's Grounds, the Lost Woods. All this was just what he had thought he would find.

The wolf, sitting before him, let out an almighty howl; there was a flash of light, and then there was no wolf, but a tall Stalfos, dressed in armour and overgrown with vines.

"Link," the great warrior said without preamble, his voice still sounding something like a growl, "what are you doing?"

Link shrugged. "Exploring."

The Stalfos folded his skeletal arms across his broad chest. "You underestimate me, boy."

"What, are you kidding me? Of course I don't."

"Then tell me the truth. Tell me what you seek. I have my suspicions, but I hope I am wrong."

Link frowned, folding his own arms. "What are your suspicions?" he asked.

He expected the Stalfos to demand an answer before giving any, but he was surprised. "Very well," the warrior said. "I have reason to believe that you are in pursuit of someone whom you believe represents and opportunity you have missed. Am I correct?"

Link shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah… What's wrong with that?"

The undead eyes gleamed dangerously. "What do you hope to achieve by doing so?" he demanded. "Do you think you will find happiness with her?"

He seemed to know exactly what he was talking about, so much so that Link actually took a step back in surprise at his harsh tone. "What?" he asked, startled.

"You exist because it was my destiny not only to become a true hero, but to establish a bloodline of heroes who would ensure the continual safety of Hyrule," the Stalfos said calmly. "Now it is your destiny to continue that bloodline. The woman who will help you in this is not a shadow from another world. She is flesh and blood, and she has already sworn to you and to herself that she will stay by your side, even when you are not by hers. How have you repaid her loyalty?"

Rolling his eyes, Link shot back, "Spare me the lecture, okay? This is none of your business. You may know everything there is to know about saving the world, but you can't judge the way I live the rest of my life, okay?"

The Stalfos took a step forward; almost instinctively, Link took an equivalent step back.

"I am trying to help you," the warrior told him, "as always."

"Because you know what's best for me?" Link asked. "How do you figure that?"

"I have been in your position."

"No, you've been in _your_ position," Link retorted. "What worked for you isn't going to work for me just because it worked for you. I look like you, I'm named for you, I'm supposed to be like you, and yeah, I basically am. But that's all. I'm like you—but I'm _not_ you."

"I see," the warrior said, nodding slowly. "After so many years of being defined by my history, you seek your own path. I was content to marry a good woman and live for my family, but you do not expect that to satisfy you. And so you want to find your alternative."

Link gave a grunt of assent. "I guess…yeah."

"In that case, there is no sense in my trying to convince you otherwise."

"All right," Link said, admittedly surprised at how easily he had won. "Let me go, then."

"Soon enough. First, allow me to offer you some thoughts." Seeing that Link was about to protest, he smiled slightly, and added, "Nothing more than things I would like you to consider. Hear me, and then respect or disregard me as you please."

He waited until Link had shrugged and sighed, "Okay. Go ahead."

"First of all, remember that not only have you been designed for destiny, but it has been designed for you. The goddesses love you. The woman they have made for you will therefore make you completely happy, if you permit her.

"Second, you have inherited my flaws as well as my strengths, and they include an inherent desire to rebel. There is nothing wrong with an independent spirit, for it is necessary in a hero, but remember that if you make every effort to disagree with other people, you will forget to consider your own opinion. Do what you genuinely think is best, not simply the opposite of what others think is best.

"And finally… When you stand with a choice between the two that you think you love, the question you must ask yourself is this: After all is said and done, when you have been tried thoroughly, and you have endured suffering, and you need someone's support—Whose smile will lift your spirit, whose open arms will you seek, and whose heart will anchor you? In short, who do you want to come home to?

"When you discover the answer to that question, you will have found what you should do, and you will be able to withstand any trials and doubts that the world may give you."

Before Link could answer, brightness was swelling around him once again, and he couldn't feel his body.

And then he was lying sprawled no his back in the dark at the edge of the Bridge of Hylia.

* * *

Link did not have much energy the next day to spare for dwelling on the spirit's words. The desert was vast, and in the middle of the day, it was also unendurably hot. He found himself focused on putting one foot in front of the other and willing the sun to go down. When it finally began to do so, he made progress much more quickly in the cool air.

He walked through the night, and reached the Arbiter's Grounds just before sunrise; the place was abandoned now that Zant's minions were gone, but their camps remained, and so he slept in the first tent he found until early afternoon. Upon waking, he looked at the position of the sun to see how much time he had left. He wanted to reach the Mirror Chamber by sunset, but he didn't know how quickly he would be able to find his way there. He had only been through the Arbiter's Grounds once before, and it had taken awhile.

"Better hurry…"

Well-rested from his morning's sleep, he entered the building without hesitation, ready to face the challenges that might lie within it. Fortunately, with all his equipment and without the forces of evil to inhibit him, the trek was a simple matter of walking from room to room, and he reached his goal with time to spare. It seemed years since he had last stood there, though it had been only a few weeks—but those few weeks were a lifetime, and they belonged to a different world.

The Mirror itself was gone. He knew this, but he was still disappointed to see that it was so. He sat down on the pedestal where its frame stood, looking through the gilded arc at the great rock which he knew was, in fact, the entrance to the Twilight Realm.

He remained there for hours, staring straight ahead, frowning slightly, so intensely focused that he forgot to blink. A sudden shift in the light, however, broke his reverie. He sat up sharply, holding his breath in anticipation.

She was coming. She had to come.

And yet he was still astonished when a pale shadow shimmered into sight upon the large rock. It was so faint that he couldn't be sure it wasn't a figment of his imagination. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowed, trying to see if it was just a trick of the light—but it was there no matter what angle he looked at. Heart pounding, he stood up quickly.

"Midna?"

The shadow moved, and he knew it was her. A joyful smile broke over his face.

"Link…you're here."

Her voice was strangely soft and distant. It made her sound weak, fragile. But it was still hers, and so it made him smile still more widely nonetheless.

"I wanted to see you again," he told her.

She gave a small laugh. "That's nice of you."

"I've missed you."

She cocked her head at him doubtfully. "It's only been a few days since I left."

"So?" he asked. "Haven't you missed me? You're here, too, you know."

She sighed, very quietly. "Of course I have. And I'm here because… Well, I miss a lot of things. Yes, you're one of them."

Before he could stop himself, he blurted, "Why did you do it, Midna? Destroy the mirror? We could have—We—"

His voice disappeared helplessly, because he didn't know quite what he was trying to say. Her brow was furrowed.

"You care about me that much?" she asked, keeping her voice even.

"Yes," he said instantly, "of course I do. After everything we went through, how could I possibly not?"

"Oh, Link," she said, shaking her head so that it quivered in the dying light, "I know you like me—but it's not that simple. I chose not to be with you because it would be wrong. Light and shadow have to be separate in order for either to exist. Don't you remember what Zelda said?"

"I know," he said impatiently, "but we're not light and shadow, we're people. This isn't philosophy, it's life. We should do what makes us happy."

"And you think I would make you happy?"

"I—Yes," he told her firmly, "I do."

She didn't answer, but lowered her eyes from his face to his collar. "What's that?" she asked calmly.

"What—?"

He stopped himself when his hand closed over his horse call.

"Oh. Just…a whistle. It's nothing."

But as he spoke, she smiled wryly, and he remembered that she had been with him when he had obtained it.

"Strictly practical, huh?" she asked quietly. "Come on, Link. Don't try to kid yourself."

As he tried to think of a response, he realized that he was still turning the charm carefully over in his fingers, and released it immediately.

"Midna," he began insistently, trying to sound as rational as she was being, "don't act like you don't care—"

"I _do_ care," she interrupted, suddenly sounding much more like her usual stern, strong self. "You stubborn idiot, of course I care. That's not the point. The point is that I'm not part of your life. I'm just part of your world-saving quest. I wish it were different, but it's not. I'm Twili. The goddesses have turned their backs on us."

"Don't say that."

"Link, I'm not being dramatic, I'm just stating a fact. We turned our backs on them first by violating the laws they had set in place about what powers mortals should have, and so they gave us what we wanted—freedom from destiny. Now we have only ourselves." She lowered her gaze, then added slowly, "Link…if you want to leave them, too…give up your destiny once and for all and come to the Twilight Realm to be with me…then of course you can. But is that what you want?"

"Maybe it is," he said rebelliously.

She raised her eyebrows at him and then, to his surprise, let out one of the giggles he knew so well. "Oh, yeah? You want to leave Hyrule?"

Link swallowed, and then voiced a thought that had been growing, unacknowledged, in the back of his mind for some time.

"Hyrule…isn't the place I remember. Well, actually…it is. Ordona is exactly the way it's always been, and I…"

His voice trailed away uncertainly. Midna nodded.

"You're bored?" she guessed. "You've outgrown it?"

"Something like that. It doesn't feel right anymore."

She giggled again, more lightly. "You're still my wild, untameable wolf-man! And now that you've had a taste of life outside your little farm village, without the sweet little good girl who hangs onto you like a little lost puppy, of course you don't want to go back to it."

Without thinking, Link protested, "No! That's not what Ordon's like at all, and Ilia's not…"

Then he realized by the trace of a smile on Midna's face that he had done just what she had expected him to.

"I know what I want," she told him simply, "and I don't think it's what you want. But if it is—really—I'm not going to say no to you."

The choice was his. She stood a few feet away from him, waiting, and he knew that if he said yes to her now, he could have her forever.

"So," she asked, watching him closely, "what are you going to do?"

She remained perfectly still as he stepped toward her pale form and touched the intangible formation of light and shadow that was her hand. When he leaned toward her, however, she returned the gesture, closing her eyes as his lips reached hers.

He couldn't kiss her. Not really. He could only feel a slight, faint, cool tingling sensation when he came into contact with the thin shimmer that was the only part of her that could leave the Twilight Realm and enter the light at this moment when shadow lay over it. Yet just from that, the feeble imitation of a real encounter, he knew that if she had been as solid as he was, the kiss would have been nothing like anything he knew. Strong, deep, earth-shaking.

When they looked into each other's faces once more, she looked his over carefully, attempting to read his response there. Apparently she could not, because she repeated herself.

"So…what are you going to do?"

What she was really asking him was the same question his grandfather's spirit had: _Who do you want to come home to?_

And he was surprised to find that he suddenly knew the answer, and knew that nothing could ever make him doubt it. Every moment of his life before didn't matter compared to this one, in which he had found what he really wanted to do with the rest of them.

"Link?" she asked, frowning at the expression that had come over him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…Yeah, I'm fine," he answered; he shook his head, bringing himself back to reality, and smiled. "I'm great, actually. I have to do something…"

He was already walking away from her, already thinking of what he had to do in order to set himself firmly on the route that he now knew he wanted, no matter what it cost.

"You've made your choice, then?"

When Midna called to him, he stopped and turned back, realizing he hadn't told her what it was.

"Yes," he said, beaming, "I have."

* * *

"Ilia, sweetheart?"

She took a moment to look in her father's direction. "Yes?"

Bo took a seat next to her on the steps outside their house. "What's wrong?"

"Oh…nothing. I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

She shrugged vaguely. "Stuff…"

He watched her for a moment, but when she did and said nothing else, he nodded, and put an arm around her shoulders to give her an affectionate squeeze. "All right," he sighed, and she knew he didn't believe her. "Well…you know you can always talk to me. About anything."

She gave him a small smile. "I know."

Bo let go of her shoulders and patted her on the knee as he stood up once more. "Well," he said again, "in that case, I'll get back to work…"

"See you," Ilia said distantly. Her attention was already drifting, and she barely heard the door close behind him as he re-entered the house.

A moment later, she realized that she was hearing another sound, distant, but growing closer. Hoofbeats. Pulling herself out of her thoughtful trance, she looked toward the sound, and caught her breath sharply when she saw its source crossing the bridge before her.

"Link?" she said in amazement. "You're back?"

She didn't know what to think of the sight of him. There was a strange look on his face as he dismounted from Epona's back and approached her; he looked more fiercely resolute than she had ever seen him before. She stood up to meet him.

"What—?"

"Ilia," he interrupted her quickly, "I have to tell you something."

"What happened to you, Link?" she asked in alarm, her eyes darting over his transfigured face. "You changed…"

"Yeah."

"Link, you…"

She stopped talking when he took hold of both of her arms. "Ilia," he said again earnestly, "listen to me. This is important."

"Okay," she said nervously. "What is it?"

"I love you."

For as long as she could remember, they had been together, and they had said those words to each other countless times before. But the way he spoke this time made all the others meaninglessly unimportant, because clearly he had never honestly been able to say it, without a shadow of a doubt, before now; he sounded as though his life depended on her understanding how he really felt. And she did understand—He was bound to her as completely as to his own destiny as a hero.

The relief that came with this realization, the realization that he was now and always would be with her, was painfully overwhelming. Something inside her seemed to give way, some knot of tension that had been swelling over the past few days vanished, so completely that she actually felt weak. With a little gasp of relief, she dropped her head against his chest for support as her eyes filled with tears. He responded by wrapping her tightly in his arms.

"Link…I really needed to hear that," she murmured. "I thought you left…"

"I know you did."

"No, Link, I mean…I really thought…"

"I know what you thought," he insisted, with a bit of a laugh. "Who do you think you're talking to? Of course I know—I know you. And you're the only person that can make me happy. I know that, too."

When she looked up at him again, he wiped away the tears beneath her eyes, and she smiled more widely.

"I'm so glad," she breathed, her voice shaking slightly. "I didn't want to lose you, Link, and I was scared you would want to be a hero for the rest of your life, and you would forget…I would have to let you go…"

He shook his head. "I'll always be a hero, but at the end of the day, I need to come home. To you. For the rest of my life."

Ilia blinked in sudden surprise, and felt her heart rate increase. "What do you mean?"

Link stared at her, apparently realizing what he had just said, and then gave a short laugh. "I mean… Well, I guess I mean… Will you marry me?"

She smiled slowly. "Haven't we been engaged all our lives?"

"I was kind of assuming so," he admitted laughingly.

"Yeah. Me, too."

"So…is that a yes, then?"

In answer, she kissed him, and it was the same kiss it had always been. Warm and safe and comforting and wonderful. That was all. And that was everything.


End file.
